Method of Interpreting Similar Verses in the Traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Member of the Qur’anic Studies Group, Research Institute for Hawza and University

2 PhD Student in Comparative Interpretation, Masoumieh Seminary Higher Education Institute, Qom, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, University of Quranic Sciences and Education, Faculty of Quranic Studies, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

The ambiguous (mutashābihāt) verses of the Holy Qur’an have long constituted one of the central challenges in Qur’anic hermeneutics, since their misinterpretation may lead to serious theological deviations such as anthropomorphism (tashbīh), corporealism (tajsīm), fatalism (jabr), or absolute delegation (tafwīḍ). The Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) offered a comprehensive and systematic interpretive methodology, grounded in both rational and textual principles, for engaging with these verses. Drawing on a descriptive-analytical approach and Shīʿī hadith sources, this article demonstrates that the Ahl al-Bayt’s interpretive method in dealing with mutashābihāt can be organized around two main axes: a negative approach, which critiques and rejects erroneous interpretations, and a positive approach, which proposes solutions derived from the Qur’an itself, sound reason, and Arabic linguistic and literary principles. The findings suggest that this method not only resolves apparent contradictions among verses but also establishes a clear criterion for distinguishing authentic interpretation from baseless speculation. Moreover, this model offers a coherent scholarly response to contemporary doubts and challenges in Qur’anic exegesis and may serve as a practical guide for interpreters and researchers confronting current theological and hermeneutical issues.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

al-Ash‘ari, A. al-Hasan. (1419 AH). Maqalat al-Islamiyyin wa ikhtilaf al-musallin. Beirut: Dar al-Nashr. [In Arabic]
al-Ayyashi, M. ibn Mas‘ud. (1411 AH). Al-Tafsir. Beirut: Mu’assasat al-A‘lami li-l-Matbu‘at. [In Arabic]
al-Barqi, A. ibn Muhammad. (1413 AH). Al-Mahasin. Qom: Al-Majma‘ al-‘Alami li-Ahl al-Bayt (AS). [In Arabic]
al-Farahidi, K. ibn Ahmad. (1409 AH). Al-‘Ayn. Qom: Mu’assasat Dar al-Hijra. [In Arabic]
al-Jawhari, I. ibn Hammad. (1410 AH). Al-Sihah: Taj al-lughah wa sihah al-‘Arabiyyah. Beirut: Dar al-‘Ilm. [In Arabic]
al-Khazzaz al-Razi, A. ibn Muhammad. (1430 AH). Kifayat al-athar fi al-nusus ‘ala al-a’imma al-ithnay ‘ashar. Qom: Dalil-e Ma. [In Arabic]
al-Kulayni, M. ibn Ya‘qub. (1407 AH). Al-Kafi. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
al-Majlisi, M. Baqir. (1403 AH). Bihar al-anwar al-jami‘a li-durar akhbar al-a’imma al-athar (AS). Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Wafa’. [In Arabic]
al-Qummi, A. ibn Ibrahim. (1404 AH). Tafsir al-Qummi. Qom: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
al-Raghib al-Isfahani, H. ibn Muhammad. (1405 AH). Muqaddimat Jami‘ al-tafasir. Kuwait: Dar al-Da‘wah. [In Arabic]
al-Raghib al-Isfahani, H. ibn Muhammad. (1412 AH). Mufradat alfaz al-Qur’an. Damascus & Beirut: Al-Dar al-Shamiyyah; Dar al-‘Ilm. [In Arabic]
al-Suyuti, J. al-Din. (n.d.). Al-Itqan fi ‘ulum al-Qur’an. Qom: Manshurat al-Sharif al-Radi. [In Arabic]
al-Tabarsi, A. ibn ‘Ali. (1413 AH). Al-Ihtijaj ‘ala ahl al-lajaj. Tehran: Dar al-Uswa. [In Arabic]
Ibn Babawayh (al-Saduq), M. ibn ‘Ali. (1416 AH). Al-Tawhid (H. Husayni Tehrani, Ed.). Qom: Jami‘at al-Mudarrisin fi al-Hawzat al-‘Ilmiyya. [In Arabic]
Ibn Faris, A. (1404 AH). Mu‘jam maqayis al-lughah. Qom: Islamic Propagation Office. [In Arabic]
Ibn Manzur, M. (1414 AH). Lisan al-‘Arab. Beirut: Dar Sadr. [In Arabic]
Ibn Najm, ‘Ala’ al-Din. (1425 AH). Mu‘jam mustalahat usul al-fiqh. Riyadh: Maktabat al-Rushd. [In Arabic]
Ibn Qutaybah, ‘A. ibn Muslim. (1393 AH). Ta’wil mushkil al-Qur’an. Maktabat Ibn Qutaybah. [In Arabic]
Ibn Shu‘ba al-Harrani, H. ibn ‘Ali. (1380 SH). Tuhaf al-‘uqul. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. [In Arabic]
Ma‘rifat, M. H. (1384 SH). Al-Tamhid fi ‘ulum al-Qur’an. Qom: Islamic Publishing Institute. [In Persian]
Muzaffar, M. R. (1386 SH). Usul al-fiqh. Sayyid Abdullah Asghari. [In Arabic]
Subhani, J. (1391 SH). Tafsir sahih ayat mushkilat al-Qur’an. Qom: Imam Sadiq Foundation (AS). [In Persian]
Tabataba’i, S. M. H. (1417 AH). Al-Qur’an fi al-Islam. Qom: Islamic Propagation Office. [In Persian]
Tayyib-Husayni, M., & As‘adi, M. (1400 SH). Research on muhkam and mutashabih verses of the Qur’an. Tehran: SAMT Organization. [In Persian]
Tayyib-Husayni, M. (1401 SH). Analysis of Qur’anic vocabulary in the narrations of Ahl al-Bayt (AS). Qom: Research Institute of Hawzah and University. [In Persian]
The Holy Qur’an. (n.d.). [In Arabic]
 
Biannual Journal of research in the interpretation of Quran
Volume 12, Issue 24
August 2025
Pages 139-172

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 15 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 16 May 2026

Share

How to cite

Statistics